Mail-box signal



Nov. 24 1925. 1,562,536

c. rE. BERG )MIL BOX SIGNAL Filed Aug.I B. 1923 lj 4 TTOIYNEY.

llatented Nov. 242, i925.

UNHTED STATES CHARLES E. BERG, GF MCNTSYH, MINNESOTA.

MAIL-BOX SIGNAL.

Application filed August 8, 1923.

To l

-in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

This invention relates to a mail box signal and particularly to such signals which are used on rural inail boxes. As is well known, mail deliveries are now extensively inade in rural districts. The inail boxes are, accor-ling to post oitice regulations, required to be 'situated along the highway traveled by the inail carrier. The dwellings of the parties sev i are often a considerable distance troni the highway and it is desirable to have signals on the boxes for the observance ot both the party served and the inail carrier. lThe inail carrier collects outgoing inail and it is objectionable to have hiin stop to look for such inail it there is none in the box.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a signal signals, one ot which is adapted to indicate inail delivered and the other of which is adapted to indicate outgoing inail.

it is a 'further object of the invention to provide two such signals, one of which can be quickly operated by the inail carrier to indicate delivered inail and the other one ot which is adapted to be, at the saine time, inovcd to inoperative position and Lo be later moved to operative position iiithere is any outgoing inail.

l't is still another object ot the invention to provide two such signals, one ot which is a weighted swinging' signal preferably disposed at one ond of the box and the other oit which is ot dili'erent characteristics and is mounted torj swinging movement at the side of the box, both signals being operable from substantially one point.

rlheso and other obiocts of the invention will be itully set iorth in the following description niade in connection with the ac coinpanying drawings in which liie reference characters reter to the saine parts throughout the ditierent views, and in which,

Fig. l is a view in side elevation ot the box with the signals thereon, one ot the sigst-ructure comprising twol Serial No. 656,396.

nals being shown in inoperative position :in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation, as seen troni the right of Fig. l, also showing one of the signals in dotted line position;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line of Fig. 2;

Fig. l is a horizontal section taken on 'the line l-l of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5)*5 ot Fig. l;

Fig. '6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken, on the line 7-7 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 8-8 ot Fig. 2, all of said sections being taken as indicated by the arrows. i

Referring to the drawings, a inail box l is shown which is ot connnon construction, being semi-cylindrical at its top and having vertical sides and ends and being of elongatedk construction. Said box is illustrated as having` a hinged door 2 at one end adapted to be held vin closed position by a spring latch 3. In accordance with the present invention, a lever l is pivoted at the end oi the box opposite the door 2, said lever being pivoted on a threaded member or bolt 5 equipped with suitable nuts for holding the same in the end ot the box and for holding the lever in position thereon. rlhe lever l has a weight (i at one endand at its other end carries a signal which, in the embodiinent ot the invention illustrated, is in the 'torni ot a Hag 7. This dag conveniently can be ornied ot a thin piece of sheet metal or other `material bent at one end around the rounded end of the lever et and connected thereto by headed and nutted bolts 8. The 'lag can thus be clamped to the lever 4i with suiiicient pressure to allow the saine to be rotated on said lever and held in any position to which it inay be turned.

It will be noted that the end of the lever d carrying the flag 7 projects beyond the sides of the box l. Secured in the side of the box l are several brackets 9, l0 and ll, respectively, said brackets being arranged in horizontal alineinent. Each ot the brackets 9, 10 and 1l is provided 4with a threaded shank passing through an aperture in the side of the box l and clamped thereto by thin nuts engaging said shank. The bracket 9 has two horizontally spaced eyeletsv 12 formed therein, through the inner one ci lll.)

or other is iosition, is adapted to overii lever l projecting beyond tl .e box, as shown in Figs. 2% and .imediate bracket 10 is formed eaded shank at its outer end eeuippeil with nuts between which is pivoted a lever 17 rounded at its upper end and f 7 signal in the form ot a vdag la, h flag is similar in structure to the rl cl Vmped to the outer end of the lever by small headed and nutted bolts which can be tightened as desired. rlhe lever 17 has a laterally projecting lug adjacent its firot on bracket 1G to which is pivota ly connected the end of a rod 19, which rod passes through the outer eyelet 12 in the bracket 9 and projects beyond the end of box 1 where it is provided with a knob or other suitable operating handle 20.

Assuming that the person served has some outgoing mail, the same will be placed in the box 1 and the lever 1T swung to the position shown in Fig. 1 to indicate to the mail carrier that such mail is in the box 'io be collected. Said person will, at the same, draw forward the rod 13 so that its hooked end will engage over the lever L1- and hold the signal 7 in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. lWhen the mail carrier approaches'the box he will observe the signal 1S in operative position and will know that there is some outgoing mail to be collected. He will thereifore stop to remove said mail and will push or strike the knob QOto depress the lever 17 and vflag 18 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This signal will, therefore stay in this position until again moved to operative position by the person served so that the mail carrier will not make an unnecessary stop to look for mail. At the time the carrier collects the mail, if he has any mail to place in the box he will deposit the same and, in this case, alsofpush or strike the knob 14. This will move the rod 13 longitudinally and move the terminal 1G thereof out of alinement with the lever at.

v The weight G will then swing the signal 'i' to same in operative position, it will cause no inconvenience to the mail carrier as he will not stop to collect mail unless the signal 18 is in operative position. The trouble with the mail boxes having signals or liags. thereon has been that the farmer would not depress the signals to inoperative position after removing the mail from the box. The mail carrier would then see the signal on the next trip and be led to believe that there was outgoing mail in the box and would thus often make an unnecessary stop when there was no such mail. rlhis has resulted in the Post Oliice Department issuing an order that the carriers need not operate the signal to show that the mail was placed in the box. The carriers, however, may move the signal to inoperative position which the owner has moved to operative position to show that there was dispatch mail in the box. lith the two signals, however, arranged as described, no unnecessary stops will be made by the mail carrier and he can operate either signal practically in an instant and with practically no trouble. The signal 7 preferably is constructed to be rotatable so that it can be turned to be best observed from the dwelling of the person served.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a simple and ei licient structure of signals having high utility on a mail box. The structure is quite simple and can easily and inexpensively be made and easily and quickly installed on a standard box. When once installed, the device is very easily operated and will give no trouble for maintenance or repair. j

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions ot the parts without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated., consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above stated such as shown and described and set forth. in the appended claims.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. The combination with a rural mail box, of a lever pivoted at one end thereof, a Hag signal carried at one end of said lever, a weight at the other end of said lever to hold said ,iiag normally elevated, spaced guides along one side of said box, a rod slidable in said guides having an open loop in one end adapted to engage said lever and hold the same in position with thel signal depressed, said rod being movable longitudinally to release said lever and having operating means at its end opposite said lever, a second lever pivoted at the side of the box and carrying a signal at one end, a rod disposed at the side of the box pivotally connected to said lever, guiding` means through which said rod passes` and operating means at the end oli said rod disposed adjacent the operating means on said first mentioned rod Whereby both signals may be opera-ted simultw neously.

2. The combination with' si mail box, of e signal on one end thereof in the form of :i Weighted lever pivoted to said bof; adapted to normally be moved into signalling posi tion to indicate delivered mail, a second signal pivoted to one side of said box adapted to indicate outgoing` mail, elongated Control members for Said signale dieposed in close relation along one side of Seid box and having their outer extremities disposed in Close relation to one another and capable of being` simultaneously operated to move Said outgoing mail Signal into inoperative position and move Seid delivered mail signal into operative position.

3. The Structure Set forth in claim 2, and common guide ineens for Said control members.

ln testimony whereof I affix my Signature.

CHARLES E. BERG.. 

